The university has accumulated a total debt of R853 million since September 2026.
Picture: iStock
22-year-old Alulutho Ntapane is finishing her studies at Rhodes University at the end of the year, but now lives in fear that the institution’s proposed new debt recovery plan will leave her even more burdened as she battles to find a job.
Ntapane is among hundreds of students who shut down academic activities at the university this week over the new plan, which student leaders claim will punish those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The university has reportedly accumulated a total debt of R853 million since September 2026 and earlier this month told self-funded undergraduate students that they will need to settle at least 50% of their outstanding debt before they can register for next year.
Furthermore, self-funded students must sign an Acknowledgement of Debt and Agreement to Pay by Instalments (AoDAPI). This agreement requires students to pay at least R3000 per month to settle their debt, and they are rejecting it.
“All students in debt to the University, except for those funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas), are required to approach an institution that provides student loans, for example, Fundi, Student Hero or a financial institution, to secure a student loan,” said the notice.
Should a student lose funding during the academic year for reasons such as poor academic performance, the student will be considered self-funded.
The new rules have been challenged by the university’s Student Representative Council, which declared a shutdown on Tuesday. Their protest is expected to run through the week.
Students going hungry
The university usually provides food vouchers during student protests, but because of the circumstances, these were not given to on-campus students.
The SRC had to use its personal funds to feed those in need.
Why she joined the protests
Although she may not be returning to the institution for her postgraduate studies next year, Ntapane knows the struggle of being unable to pay tuition and has had difficulty securing a private bursary.
She told The Citizen she does not qualify for Nsfas because her household income exceeds the financial scheme’s household income threshold of R350 000 per annum.
Some of her anxieties for the future include the fact that she will be followed by this debt when she finally leaves the institution, and how this debt will reflect on her track record and her professional career.
A second student, who is funded by Nsfas and has chosen to remain anonymous, said they are participating in the protest to see change and to have their financial situation considered.
Their parents are unemployed, and their only source of household income is a social grant.
“Even though I am on Nsfas, it seems like I have no funding. I have been incurring debt since my first year because the bursary does not pay my full residence fees, which increase every year.”
They currently owe R174k and worry about how they will afford it.
They hope that the university management understands that not every student has the means to pay the 50% required.
Demands
SRC president, Thalethu Magidela, addressed the student body on Tuesday, saying the protest will continue until management meets the students halfway.
“Executive management failed to bring students into confidence that their demands would be taken seriously, and feedback would be given timeously; so, with this in mind, the student body has given a mandate, and it is our duty as the SRC to meet this mandate.
“Senior management has also been formally informed of the position that we have taken as the student body.
“Financial sustainability must not only look at the benefits for the university. Students’ constitutional right to education is paramount,” the SRC added.
